


More Than Buddies

by Bubbybear1111



Category: Transformers: Rescue Bots
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, Chase's Insecurities, Don't copy to another site, Episode Related, Episode Tag: s02e15 Buddy System, Fluff, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 10:31:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19828315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbybear1111/pseuds/Bubbybear1111
Summary: Based on the Rescue Bots episode "Buddy System".Charlie snaps at Chase, leading to misunderstandings and a rise in insecurities.





	More Than Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old fic I found while going through my drive. I thought the world ought to finally see it.
> 
> If you don't remember what the episode was about, it was basically a whole episode centering around hiking disasters, both normal and strange- and also Charlie meeting a woman that he ends up liking.
> 
> Also I understand that the name of the fic isn't great. The doc I had for it was literally titled "Cop Husbands Thing????" So yunno.
> 
> Enjoy.

It was a nice, sunny day in Griffin Rock, Maine. The sky was cloudless and the air was warm. The flowers were blooming and every aspect of the island seemed to be in a good mood. Everyone was going about their day, including the Lad Pioneers, who were having their first nature walk. Chief Burns was heading the hike, and had assigned everyone a buddy with Doc Green’s Buddy Bracelets. Blades had been assigned to Cody, Dani to Kade, Graham to Mrs. Neederlander, and Charlie to a woman named Carin. 

Chase was standing near his partner, watching and monitoring everything. He had been the one to make sure all of the Rescue Bots went on the hike to assist. There would be no … other accidents on this hike with the team around. He still felt slightly guilty about that one boy’s accident; he should have been watching. His optics scanned the crowd of people and the surrounding area, making sure there were no dangers lurking. He also listened to the group, picking up parts of conversations. Kade and Dani were arguing, Graham was sneezing, Mrs. Neederlander was complaining, and Charlie was… sputtering? The police bot looked down at his partner concernedly. The man’s face was red.

“Chief Burns? Are you developing a sunburn? Or maybe a fever? Are you feeling alright, Sir?” Chase felt the need to kneel down and place a hand over the police man’s forehead, but he resisted. It would look strange if he did so here.

“I- uh.. -What? Oh, Chase. It-it’s called blushing.” Charlie glanced up at the police car, a hand over one of his cheeks. 

“Blushing? Is it a disease?” Chase knocked his head.

“Uh-no. No it’s not a disease it’s-”

“Is it a type of skin reaction? Did you touch Poison Ivy, Sir?”

“No, Chase. I did not touch Poison Ivy it-”

“Are you sure you are not ill-”

“No, Chase! I’m not ill. Blushing is just a thing humans do, and it’s none of your business.” Charlie was now fully looking up at the carformer, brows furrowed and a frown on his face. 

Chase almost recoiled. He disliked being on the receiving end of the Chief’s anger. He was slack-jawed for a moment before he regained his composure. “Of course, Sir…I will not pry further.”

The policeman sighed. “Thank you, Chase,” he said before walking off to join Carin.

Chase watched the man walk over to the woman. They began to talk. The Chief laughed, rubbing his neck. The police bot felt something in the pit of his fuel tanks. It was a weird feeling, something he didn’t like. It made him want to walk over and smash the Buddy Bracelets that were on the two of them. He thought about the way the man had snapped at him. Why had he been so defensive? It had something to do with him ‘blushing’ and what the woman had said to him. He decided he would keep a close optic on them during the hike.

Chase was glad the rescue and hike were over. They had found a snake and had caught it. It had been squirming all the way to the zoo; he now knew why Heatwave disliked snakes. Now that everything was over they could go home and Chase and Charlie could have the downtime Charlie had been after for over a week. If Chase was honest with himself he was looking forward to it. Any alone time with the Chief was welcome to him. 

He walked over to the policeman and Carin, who were talking.

“Sir, are you ready to go back to the firehouse,” he asked in his best robotic voice. The man looked up at him and then at Carin.

“I think Carin and I will stay. We never got to actually hike.” He repeated this to his children and then said goodbye.

Chase watched as the two disappeared into the forest, the same feeling resting in his fuel tanks again. Something was wrong with this, and it was all connected to the Chief’s change in color earlier that day. He would look up what ‘blushing’ involved when he got back to the firehouse. 

The feeling in Chase’s fuel tanks had gotten worse after the last half hour of being at the firehouse. When he had reached the building he had immediately went down into the bunker and to the computers. He had looked up the definition of blushing; there were apparently several, including:

  * Develop a pink tinge in the face from embarrassment or shame.
    * Feel embarrassed or ashamed.
  * (Of a flower or other thing) be or become pink or pale red.



With the situation in which he had encountered the ‘blushing’ he had doubted it was the last one. He had concentrated on the first and looked up circumstances in which one could blush. Eventually he had found his answer: Flirting. The two humans must have been flirting with each other. Chase now felt the same feeling overflow his fuel tanks, flowing into his circuits. Why would Chief Burns do such a thing? Was he unhappy with Chase’s partnership? Did he desire someone more… human? The carformer felt sick. He needed to go somewhere where he could think this over.

Charlie laughed as he and Carin walked back to Old Canyon Road. Carin had just told the funniest cop joke he’d ever heard. When he got home he would have tell the joke to Chase, who would hopefully get it. 

“So.. I heard you talking to your Police Bot today before the hike. What was it saying?” Carin cocked her head at Charlie expectantly.

“He uh.. He was asking me something.” The Chief rubbed the back of his neck.

“It must have been something weird for you to get angry,” she said casually.

“Yea- wait. I sounded angry?” The cop looked at his friend, almost shocked.

“Yeah, you kind of yelled at him. I was wondering why.”

Charlie suddenly felt guilt sprout in his stomach. Had he really yelled at Chase? He better say sorry when he got home. “Yeah-uh… yeah-” Right before the policeman had to conjure up a bad excuse the two came upon Old Canyon Road. The man was thankful for the distraction. “-Well, I guess we’re back. I’ll call the police bot to pick us up.” He pushed the comm button and spoke, “Police Bot, can you pick Carin and I up?” There was silence on the other line. Charlie furrowed his brows and tried again to no avail. Why wasn’t Chase answering? He turned to Carin, confused.

She shrugged, “Maybe he’s busy on a rescue?”

Charlie shook his head. “No, Kade would have commed me.”

“Then maybe his comm’s not working,” she replied.

Brows still furrowed, the Chief turned away. “Maybe…,” he said quietly, concern etched in the word. “For the time being, I’ll call Kade and see if his bot can take us back.” With that he called the firefighter and asked if Heatwave could take them back to town. 

‘Can’t Chase do it Dad,’ asked the eldest child.

“No, he isn’t responding.”

There was an audible groan on the other line. ‘Fine. Cody don’t you dare eat my potatoes!’ The comm then went silent.

Ten minutes later Heatwave arrived, opening his doors so both humans could climb in. The ride home was mostly silent, albeit a comfortable silence. After they dropped Carin off at Jerry’s, Charlie asked if Heatwave had seen Chase.

“No, but I saw him leave the bunker through the tunnels. He didn’t say where he was going. I assumed he went out on patrol. Why?” The bot’s head on the dash screen titled questioningly.

“He’s not answering his comm. I’m worried.” Right as he finished his sentence they arrived back home. The policeman got out and Heatwave transformed.

“That’s not like Chase. He usually checks in with you when you’re not with him.”

“I know. He didn’t even try contacting me when I was hiking with Carin.” The guilt in his stomach churned slightly and settled next to his worry.

“We should go look for him,” the firetruck said. 

Charlie shook his head, “No… I think… I think I’ll just go look for him. I might know where he is.”

Charlie found Chase exactly where he thought he would be. It was a cliff overlooking a cove on the westward side of the island, evident by the sunset that caused the police bot’s metal to shine. The place was special; it had been the place he and his late wife spent many a summer night together, and now it was the place he and Chase went to spend their time alone. The policeman watched his partner for a moment. Unlike his usual upright posture, he was slouching. He seemed to have his knees brought up to his chassis and arms wrapped around his legs. His head was down. The Chief’s brow furrowed. Something was definitely wrong with the mech. He felt guilt crawl up his back as he watched the bot sit. Finally, he decided to go talk to the carformer and climbed over the bushes and out into the open.

Chase whirled around, his optics wide. “Ch-Chief Burns…!” The bot’s gaze followed the Chief as he walked up to him.

“Are you ok, Chase? You.. You weren’t answering your comm.” Charlie looked up into the mech’s optics. The police bot turned his head away from the man’s gaze.

“I… I-,” Chase was silent for a moment, his optics flicking back and forth as if he was looking for the correct words. Finally he cried out, “Am I inadequate to you? Do you not wish to pursue a relationship with me anymore?” 

The policeman was silent for a moment as he absorbed what his partner was saying. “Chase what are you-”

“The blush, Sir,” the mech exclaimed. A brow on the cop’s face rose in confusion and with a huff Chase continued, “Earlier today. You blushed. I asked you what its purpose was...I’m afraid I asked too many questions, and I am sorry for that; however, I- you snapped at me. It…. was a rather defensive action. And…. once you walked off with Carin I- I felt something terrible in my fuel tanks that continued to gnaw at me throughout the hike and during the snake incident. The-the feeling grew when you decided to go on a hike with Carin rather than spend the afternoon with me ...,” he paused for a moment before venting in deeply, cycling air through his systems before he continued, “I did not like that and felt it was because of the blushing you had done earlier. I went back to the firehouse to do research and… I concluded that you and Carin were flirting with one another….” With that Chase finished his explanation and let silence fill the air.

Charlie stood there for a moment, slack jawed and eyes wide. He felt terrible. “Oh Chase...Carin and I are friends, I promise.”  
“But the-”

“The blushing, I know. Chase, people blush for a lot of different reasons. Though you did find one of the most common reasons, that wasn’t the reason I was blushing. Carin had complimented me about my job. Humans can blush when they’re complimented,” The policeman smiled pityingly up at Chase, “I’m sorry that you misunderstood.”

“I… It is my fault… I- I overreacted.”

“No, none of this is your fault. You wouldn’t be upset in the first place if I hadn’t snapped at you. I was flustered and wanted to get the hike going; I had a lot of things in my head. I’m sorry, Chase…”

“Thank you, Charlie. Apology accepted….” the carformer gave the human a small smile and extended a hand for him to climb onto. The man did so and was lifted up to Chase’s shoulder.

“Hey,” Charlie said softly.

“Yes?” Chase turned his gaze to the human.

“You are so much more than just adequate.” The policeman gave a soft smile before leaning in to kiss the mech’s helm.

“Thank you, Charlie. You are wondrous as well.”


End file.
